It is well known that flossing of the teeth is an important part of good dental hygiene. Many dentists recommend dental flossing to remove food particles that cannot be reached by the ordinary toothbrush. Dental floss is readily available in most pharmacies and drugstores in spool and cartridge dispensers.
Typically, flossing is accomplished by cutting a section of floss from the floss dispenser, pulling the floss from each end with the user's hands to create a tension in that section and then proceeding to floss the teeth. This, however, was not a very sanitary method nor did it provide easy manipulation of the floss during the flossing operation.
Various types of floss applicators and holders have been developed in an attempt to improve on the two-hand system. One such type of applicator is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,172,591, which illustrates a holder that can store the floss and also possesses a fork or prong by which one end of the floss is anchored, the other end being anchored at the spool. This applicator can be manipulated with only one hand of the user, however, it is difficult to reach the most rearward teeth and to regulate the tension in the floss. In addition, the user loses a sensation of the position of the floss and whether the floss is properly cleaning the teeth.
Another style of applicator is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,799,177. This patent shows a two-part tool which is manipulated with each hand of the user. Such two-member applicators suffer the disadvantages of being relatively cumbersome and difficult to manipulate and, again, do not give the user a sense of the position of the floss or whether the floss is functioning correctly.
A third style of applicator is a one-member system which is held in one of the user's hands and serves to anchor one end of the floss. The other end of the floss is then pulled with the user's other hand to create a tension. This type of applicator is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,393,687 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,611. This style of applicator is superior to the two-member or pronged applicators in that one of the user's hands grasps the free end of the floss and provides the user with the necessary sensitivity and ease of manipulation. This method, therefore, possesses an ease of manipulation unobtainable with the traditional two-hand method without losing a sense of the floss position for the user. These applicators, which may possess a storage means for the floss, suffer the disadvantages of requiring complicated winding and unwinding procedures for anchoring the floss and providing greater lengths of floss. These winding procedures make it difficult to ready the floss for use, to provide a new section of floss when the old is spent and to maintain the floss in a sanitary condition.